Earth 2 (Vol 1) 13
Synopsis for "1,370°C" At the command of Amar Khan, Captain Steel arrives at Rio de Janeiro with the intent to enter one of the flaming pits that appeared around the globe when Terry Sloan created them using Apokoliptian technology. The World Army leaders, however, are annoyed at this waste of resources, as Steel would, they think, be of more use to them in the coming battle against Steppenwolf in Dherain. Khan explains that Steppenwolf will likely expect World Army aggression, and be prepared to repel it. In the mean time, though, the fire pits are of Apokoliptian origin, and Rio is the only place where life has been able to flourish near one. Now, reports of missing persons and a figure seen in the fire suggest that this one is worth investigating, lest it be some kind of counter attack by Steppenwolf. Khan reminds his superiors of the Red Files a program in which super-humans were created with the intention of deterring any future conflicts. Each project had the word "red" in its codename, like the unfinished Red Tornado and covert operative Red Arrow. Under the terms of this project, the World Army has contracted inventor Jim Lockhart to build a Red Torpedo that will be able to withstand the heat of one of the fire pits' cores. Khan goes on to explain that he chose Captain Steel for the mission for a particular reason. Hank Heywood, Jr. was born with a congenital defect that made his bones so brittle that they would surely not last into his late teens. In order to help him, his father Hank, Sr. invented a metal substance that bonded with his son's DNA - so much so that it overtook his bone structure, completely replacing his skeleton with steel. Though he is now more metal than man, the procedure gave him super-strength. The elder Heywood intended to sell his work to the World Army, but the Apokopliptian war saw the destruction of his work and the loss of his life. Hank, Jr. came back to the World Army, and became it's first wonder. In any case, the reason Khan chose Captain Steel is that he also has the ability to control machinery, which will be of benefit if the Red Torpedo becomes corrupted in some way by the pit's fires. Though Jim Lockhart is excited to meet Captain Steel, Hank assures him that the process by which he became Captain Steel robbed him of any ability to empathize. He kills without caring. This is just another mission to him. Within moments, he is inside the Red Torpedo, and plummeting deep into the fire pit. Elsewhere, Hawkgirl continues her investigation into the death of Alan Scott's late fiancé Sam Zhao. However, she is attacked by Parademons riding on Apoko-Rats. She is aided in her fight, unexpectedly, by the mysterious new Batman, who explains that these men were sent by Kanto, the assassin of Apokolips, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. All of this leaves Hawkgirl with more questions, not the least of which being who that Batman was. Why was Sam mixed up with Apokoliptian tech? 35 hours later, a panicked Jim Lockhart reports to Amar Khan that someone is emerging from the fire pit, but it takes some time before he can identify the figure. It is Captain Steel, but he has been separated from the Red Torpedo, and clearly injured and shaken. As soon as he is within ear-shot, he begins shouting that they must seal off the pit. Inside the pit resides the Red Lantern, and if she gets free, the world will die. Appearing in "1,370°C" Featured Characters *Captain Steel (Henry Heywood Jr.) *Hawkgirl Supporting Characters *World Army **Amar Khan *Jim Lockhart *Batman (Thomas Wayne) Villains *Parademons *'Apokorats' *Steppenwolf *Kanto Other Characters *'House Speaker Grace' *Commander Steel (Henry Heywood Sr.) *Sam Zhao Locations *'Brazil' **'Rio De Janeiro' Items *Batarang Vehicles *Red Torpedo Notes *Coming Soon Trivia *Coming Soon Links *http://www.dccomics.com/comics/earth-2-2012/earth-2-13 *http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Earth_2_Vol_1_13 *http://www.comicvine.com/earth-2-13-1-370degc/4000-408952/ Category:Earth 2 (Volume 1)